Questions posted by Norma at Daily Parelli.
What is your Ultimate Goal with horses?
To partner so naturally, simply and joyfully that it feels more like instinct and less like learned behavior.
I was astonished at how long it took to think about this and articulate an answer.
What is a step toward that goal that you could achieve within ten years?
Pass Parelli program Level 3 and be studying in Level 4.
What is a step toward that goal that you could achieve within five years?
Parelli program Level 2 in Freestyle and Liberty and Level 3 in on-line.
What is a step toward that goal or a lesser goal that you could achieve within two years?
Implement more creativity with patterns and puzzles both on the ground and mounted — and start understanding Liberty.
What is a step toward that goal that you could achieve within one year?
Get more fit so I can ride longer and more playfully.
What is a step toward that goal or a lesser goal that you could achieve within six months?
Follow through on many more sessions as the weather gets warmer and drier. Get outside the arena and explore the entire farm, on the ground and mounted.
What is a step toward that goal that you could achieve within three months?
More undemanding time in the pasture. More provocative play in the arena and outside it.
What is a step toward that goal or a lesser goal that you could achieve within one month?
Add obstacles to the patterns. Not just markers to go around, but poles between the cones, tarps in the path of traveling circles, pedestals as rest stops.
What is a step toward that goal that you could achieve within two weeks?
Three mosey+yoga sessions around the property.
What is a step toward that goal or a lesser goal that you could achieve within one week?
One mosey+yoga session when the rain clears on Thursday. One extra workout of my own. One Freestyle Follow the Rail/Figure Eight session.
What action could you take toward that goal within three days?
Try the Jazzercise class downtown. (So 10 years from now studying Level 4 starts with Jazzercise on Wednesday? Hm, how interesting!)
What action could you take toward that goal tomorrow?
Do one of our mosey sessions around the property.
What action could you take toward that goal today?
Take Rocky that half-apple that’s in the fridge and tell him he’s a good boy, resisting the urge to fuss, pet, groom, or direct him.
What action could you take toward that goal right now?
Get to sleep.
What information could you acquire that would improve your chances of achieving your goal?
Right now I have a ton of information. I’ve got the academics covered — it’s the field work that needs doing.
That said, I just ordered a book by Bill Dorrance and another by Robert Miller DVM, both often referenced by the Parellis. Over time I am certain my library will continue to grow.
It does help to have other people to talk with about all of this.
What’s stopping you?
Overwhelmed by all the discomfortables: cold, rain, slush, mud, insomnia, stress, workload. Poor time management skills. Inertia.
Really?
Yes.
Do you see how easy it is to make a plan?
I don’t mean to be rude but this is not as easy as it looks. ~ Westley, The Princess Bride
Now, here’s the toughest question of all: Once you have a plan…Are you willing to change it if you need to?
Yes. My challenge is NOT changing it when I DON’T need to. But I get the point.
Did you count to see if there were actually 20 questions?
Nope. Useless detail that makes no difference to the goal of this exercise.
Horsegirl on a Journey 